


Crossing the Threshold

by zarrati



Series: Crossing Borders Universe [4]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Crossing Borders, Dictator AU, F/M, honeymoon fic, wedding fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 00:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6261709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarrati/pseuds/zarrati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She couldn’t stand it anymore. She blinked back tears and turned over to face him. “We’re getting married tomorrow.”<br/>Based on the prompt wanting Ben and Leslie's wedding and honeymoon in the Crossing Borders Universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wedding Day

Leslie felt him roll over next to her, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close. His stubble scratched against the sensitive skin of her neck and made her shiver while his fingertips danced over the small patch of skin between her shirt and shorts.

“You should be sleeping.”

God, she loved his voice like this, raspy and tired and soft. 

“Sorry, I’m just too wired and excited. I don’t see how you can sleep. Aren’t you the least bit nervous?”

She felt him shrug before his lips brushed her cheek. “Excited? Yes, I’m very excited. Nervous? A little. I mean it’s probably the most important day of my life. But I want this more than anything. Plus, I know that I need all of the sleep that I can get. I plan on needing a lot of energy tomorrow evening.” He said the last sentence with the hint of a leer that made Leslie giggle.

She reached for his hands on her waist and linked their fingers. “Yeah, it’s gonna be a big day. Maybe a little too big. Do you ever sometimes wish it didn’t feel like the entire world was watching you?”

Ben sighed next to her and squeezed her hand. “Of course I do, but that’s my thing, not yours.“ He nudged her shoulder. “Are you having second thoughts? If you are, I’d rather know now than-”

“No.” She cut him off before he could say another word. 

Yes, their lives the last two years had been crazy. They endured more than anyone should and it left lasting scars on both their bodies and minds, but no. There were a lot of things she now regretted in her life, but marrying Ben Wyatt would never,  _ ever _ be one of them.

“No, don’t even say that,” she continued. “I love you. I love you more than I thought I could ever love someone. You...I don’t think I could have made it through these last few years without you. I want to marry you. I guess sometimes I hate constantly being under a microscope. Sometimes I wish that it would just be something special between us.”

Hey,” he chided softly, “what we have is special. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. Trust me, I hate being in the public eye sometimes, but I’ll do anything for you. I know that this is all part of the deal. You don’t date and marry the president without coming under  _ some _ scrutiny.” He kissed her cheek again and she giggled when he ticked the side of her face with his nose. “Besides, you’re just feeling a little nervous now. I know you. You love Pawnee so much, you’d want to invite everyone to our wedding anyway.”

She tried to hide her smile. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“I  _ know _ I’m right. So yeah, things are crazy and there’s going to be more people there that we don’t know than those we do, and there’ll be camera crews and the media swarming like vultures-”

“Babe, I love you, but you’re not helping.”

“What I’m trying to say is that yeah, all of that will happen, but it doesn’t matter. All that is going to matter is you and me.” His grip on her waist tightened. “And when I see you walking down that aisle, I won’t see anyone or anything. Just you. Let everyone else fade away into the background.”

She couldn’t stand it anymore. She blinked back tears and turned over to face him. “We’re getting married tomorrow.”

Ben kissed her nose and smiled. “Well, technically today, but yes, we are. In just a few hours, Ann is going to kick me out so you can get ready and we won’t bring bad luck upon our marriage by me seeing you before the wedding.”

Leslie ran her hand down the front of Ben’s t-shirt. “You’re going to look so handsome in your uniform.”

“And I can’t wait to finally see you in your wedding dress.”

She sighed again and buried her face in the crook of Ben’s neck. “You and me. That’s all that matters, right?”

“Yup, just you and me.” She yawned as he slowly rubbed her back. “Think you can sleep a few hours at least?”

“Yeah, I think so.” She tilted her head up and kissed him. “Thank you. I can’t wait until I marry you.”

“And I can’t wait until I marry you. Thankfully we don’t have to wait too much longer.”

Ben’s breathing soon slowed, his slight snore that she had come to love the only sound she could hear. She loved him, and soon, in front of her entire country, she was going to marry him.

And he was right, that’s all that mattered.

~~~~~

Leslie stood in front of the extravagant full length mirror and stared at her reflection. Ann had shuffled all of the makeup artists and designers and stylists out of the room, leaving only Donna and April with them.

“You look so beautiful,” Ann said walking up beside her with tears in her eyes

“Stop, you can’t make me cry,” Leslie laughed trying to blink back her own tears. “I don’t care how waterproof they say this makeup is, I’m pretty sure I can ruin it.” She turned to pull Ann into a tight hug. “But thank you. Thank you for everything.”

She waved Donna and April over to join the group hug, the latter only doing so after giving an exaggerated eye roll. 

“Thanks to all of you,” Leslie told them. “You’ve helped me so much. From the very beginning, and I can’t thank you enough for being here for me today.”

“Of course we’re here for you,” Ann said, squeezing her tighter. 

“You know I’ve always got your back, Knope,” Donna said. “Plus, what better way to organize this media circus than from the inside.” She winked and Leslie laughed. Yeah, she wouldn’t have been able to handle all of the media craziness without Donna. She was a godsend.

April shrugged. “Yeah, well Andy’s a groomsman, so I figured why not since we get to walk down together and then throw rice at you.” April kept her voice disinterested, but when Leslie looked over, there was an almost imperceptible quirk of her lips. 

Leslie took a step back and let out a deep breath. “Okay, so everything’s set up for-”

“Nope, stop right there,” Donna said holding up her hand. “You don’t worry about a single thing. Everything’s handled and ready to go. All you worry about is making it down that aisle to your uniformed dream man.”

“Sorry, force of habit.”

“I know,” Donna smiled, “but you can relax. Everything’s perfect.”

Ann squeezed Leslie’s hand. “So, you ready to get married?”

With a deep breath, she answered, “Yes.”

~~~~~

There was only one place Leslie Knope would get married. Her wedding wasn’t going to be in some elaborate church or fancy hall.

No, she was getting married in her parents’ park.

This was the one place that still meant more to her than anywhere else. It was the place where she thought she was going to watch Ben die before she got a chance to tell him she loved him, and now it was going to be the place where she declared before the entire world that she’d love him until the day that she died.

And maybe it was a little sappy, but she felt connected to her parents here. As if they were going to somehow be in her wedding after all. 

But there was no way to get around the extravagance of it all. The huge setup, the hundreds upon hundreds of chairs for guests she didn’t know, and thousands of flowers shipped in from all around the world.

Now, Leslie Knope loved extravagance. She lived for it. If it wasn’t a little over the top, than it wasn’t planned by Leslie, but even this was too much. 

Maybe it was because her wedding, one of the most important days of her life, had been controlled by so many other people. She was the president. She understood that this was a national, if not international event, but she still wished she could have had a little more control.

She was leading a nation, but she wasn’t allowed to fully plan her own wedding. The irony.

To be fair, something on this scale would have probably been too much to take on herself, even for her, but she was still a little bitter about it. 

But when it came to the location, she put her foot down. 

She had to admit, though, everything looked amazing. 

She was kept hidden away from the prying eyes of the press leading up to the ceremony, and then from her soon to be husband. 

She stayed tucked away as Ben walked down the aisle, followed soon after by the rest of the bridal party.

Her heart was beating loud and fast in her chest as she waited her turn from the back. 

“Are you ready?” Ron’s gruff voice said from beside her, and she blinked back more tears as he extended his elbow to her.

“Yeah.”

She grabbed onto his arm and waited for the music to change, but before then, Ron cleared his throat.

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m very proud of you, and proud that you asked me to give you away.” He cleared his throat again and Leslie just knew he was doing his best to not get emotional. “You look beautiful, and I know that your parents would be proud of you, too.”

Crap, Double, triple crap. She was going to cry and ruin her makeup before she even walked down the aisle.

She squeezed Ron’s arm and smiled. “Thank you. You’re the only other person besides my father that I would ever want to be here for me today.”

Ron pursed his lips and nodded, and they were both probably never more relieved to hear the start of the wedding march.

The makeshift door at the start of the aisle opened, and one of the wedding coordinators quickly motioned for her to start walking.

It was almost like a dream. The brightness of the sun was blinding at first, but when she was able to focus, she saw hundreds of people standing, watching her. There was that brief moment of panic until she remembered Ben’s words and stared straight ahead.

There he was, her glorious man in uniform, the one that saved her time and time again, just like she saved him.

He was standing almost at attention, his back ramrod straight, his shorter military styled hair slicked just to the side. He was so handsome.

And he was looking at her in a way she’d never seen.

She thought she had seen all of the ways Ben looked at her. Sometimes she’d catch him just staring like a lovestruck fool, and it made her heart skip each and every time.

But today, today was so different. 

The walk suddenly seemed to take forever. All she wanted was to get up there already and marry that man, but the second their eyes locked, neither could stop smiling.

Ben was right. In that moment, with the hundreds of people around them, the cameras rolling so that millions could watch from around the world, none of that mattered. All that mattered was him.

When she finally reached the end, she passed her bouquet to a beaming Ann and grasped Ben’s hands. They were shaking and coated in a thin layer of sweat, and she had to smile. The very first time she shook his hand in that meeting room in the Capitol, his hand felt like this. Now it was almost as if everything was coming full circle.

The ceremony itself passed in a blur. They went very traditional when it came to the wedding and vows. There were some words too precious to be shared with the world, and their vows--their  _ real _ vows were some of them. That was going to come later.

They said “I do” at the right times, pledged to love and cherish each until death. Chris passed them the rings and they slid them on each other’s fingers with smiles too big to try and hide. And when they were pronounced husband and wife, when Ben was told that he could finally kiss his bride, it was the greatest feeling in the world. 

This kiss lasted just a little bit longer than what might be considered appropriate for prime time, but neither one cared. This was  _ their _ day, and if they wanted their wedding kiss to include tongue, then dammit it was going to happen.

They pulled away and Ben rested his forehead against hers, ignoring the loud applause coming from the crowd for just a moment. 

“I love you,” her husband-- _ husband _ \-- whispered to her.

“I love you, too.”

The crowd and the flashing camera lights were getting harder and harder to ignore.

“You ready?” He asked, pulling back and grabbing her hand.

She squeezed his fingers. If she learned anything in the past few years with him, it was that, together, they could do anything.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”


	2. The Honeymoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Ben enjoy Ron's wedding present.

Thankfully, the reception was a much more intimate affair. The rabid press had gotten their fill, and the hunger to be a part of “the wedding of the century” had been sated, at least temporarily.

It felt good to just have the people there that meant the most to them. Good friends, good food, and good wine. That's all Leslie wanted most for their reception. Well, that and a giant Li’l Sebastian ice sculpture, but they compromised on a little tribute on the cheese table. 

Her cheek was pressed up against her husband’s chest, the two of them swaying slowly on the open dance floor to the soft music.

Ben dropped his nose into her hair. “This is the best day of my life,” he whispered, and damnit, there were tears again in her eyes.

“Mine, too.”

“How long do we have to stick around?”

His hands gripped her waist, and she recognized that tone in his voice. She loved that voice, and it sent shivers down her spine.  

“We’re the First Lady and Gentleman of the country. We can do whatever we want.”

“Good, because I don’t think I can go another second without making love to my wife.”

He took her hand and they ran.

~~~~~

“This is nice.”

“Nice?” Ben said with soft laugh in her ear, temporarily drowning out the sound of the crashing waves. “Ron buys us our own island as a wedding present/honeymoon destination, and you say it’s ‘nice’?”

She giggled and if turning around in a hammock to face him wasn’t so dangerous, she would have.

“You know what I mean. Nice, wonderful, amazing, perfect. I am all of a sudden very happy that Ron is both independently wealthy and felt it unfair that the Pawnee taxpayers should pay for our honeymoon.”

“And I’m happy because this level of privacy means that we can have loud, enthusiastic sex literally wherever we want.”

“We are  _ not _ having sex on a hammock,” she told him as his hand slid beneath her bikini bottoms. “Because knowing your luck you’d flip us over and break your tailbone or something.”

“You’re no fun.”

“You weren’t saying that when we had sex in the hot tub or on the beach in the middle of the night.”

“Oh, yeah, that was fun.” He started nibbling on her neck, and Leslie moaned. “If only your constituents knew just how dirty you like to be. My little exhibitionist.” 

“It’s not really all that daring when there’s no one else around.”

“Hmm, there’s always the risk of some tabloid trying to fly over in a helicopter, or an agent patrolling the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s a  _ little _ daring.”

She laughed. “If you’re still trying to push hammock sex, you’re failing. Especially because we have a beautiful bed a few yards away with huge doors we can leave open if you really want that outdoorsy feel.”

He sighed into her hair. “That’s true. And beach sex was great and all, but there’s just too much sand.”

Leslie hopped off the hammock as carefully as she could without sending her new husband toppling to the ground. She stood in front of him, her hands on her hips, before stripping out of her bikini and dropping it there on the ground.

“Maybe there is a little exhibitionist in me after all.”

She ran back to the beach house, Ben not far behind.

She was almost to the patio outside of the bedroom when she screamed as her husband’s hands gripped her waist and lifted her over his shoulder.

“Ben!” she laughed. “What are you doing?”

He gave her bare ass a nice, firm slap, and if she wasn’t wet for him already, she certainly was now.

“Is this not how I’m supposed to carry you over the threshold? I hear that the fireman’s carry is much better for my back.”

“Even if that all were true, you carried me over the  _ right _ way days ago.”

“Oh, well then I guess I’m just fulfilling a fantasy of mine where I toss my wife onto a bed and ravish her. Very primitive.”

She fell on the soft bed and immediately welcomed the weight of him on top of her as she kissed him. They’re hungry and desperate, like it had been several weeks as opposed to only a few hours since they last did this.

But it’s their honeymoon, and this man, this wonderful man who went through so much for her, is her husband. 

Her hands ran down the raised skin on his back, slipping beneath his swim trunks to cup his ass--the most perfect butt in all of Pawnee. It's official. She declared it.

He didn't even bother pulling the shorts off all of the way before he was inside of her, filling her up in the way she knew she'd never get tired of.

There was something freeing about being here on their own, the patio doors wide open and the ocean breeze wafting in.

It reminded her of the cabin, those few months away from the public eye despite the circumstances. She fell in love with him there.

And as much as she loved her job and her country, she was happy to be away from the microscope they were constantly under.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, gasping as he seemed to slide even deeper.

She felt like a bowstring being tightened more and more until, finally, she snapped and felt herself falling.

No, she'd definitively never get tired of this.

~~~~~

She poked Ben’s shoulder, rousing him from sleep.

“Wha’? Wha’ happened? You okay?” He was already getting ready to reach for the night table and the gun he forgot he didn’t have.

God he was so adorable half asleep and protective.

“I’m fine. I just realized something.”

“Is it that it’s late and you should be sleeping?”

“No. It’s that we haven’t gone skinny dipping yet. What’s the point of a private island if we don’t swim naked at least once?”

Ben groans and falls back against his pillow. “Okay, we can do it tomorrow.”

“No, we can’t. You’re not supposed to be out on the sun too long without something covering your scars. Nighttime is the best time. We should go now.”

“We should?”

“Yes! You and me...naked and swimming in the moonlight. It’s romantic and super hot.”

She tugged on his arm and he followed, like she knew he would. They were already naked, which made the process even easier.

The water was warm on her skin, and she dove into it willingly.

When she resurfaced, she saw Ben still on the shoreline, staring.

“Are you not gonna come in?”

“I am. I just wanted to watch you, first. You’re like a beautiful mermaid or something.”

“Should I start singing to lure you to your death?”

“Technically those are sirens not mermaids, but the mythos has gotten a little convoluted from different cultural influences and stories and--”

“Okay, I get it. I love you, but please don’t explain any of that anymore.”

He laughed, finally walking towards her in the water.

His arms slid around her waist as the gentle waves flowed around them. “It feels nice.”

“See, I told you.” She linked her fingers behind his neck and kissed his cheek. 

“You were right. Although I probably would have rather we had done this a few hours ago, but I still like it. Back home, I forget how bright the moon is.”

Leslie wrapped her legs around his hips, and Ben held her in the water. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Thank you for coming out here with me even though you were tired.”

“Of course. I propose we do this again tomorrow, but  _ before _ I go to sleep.”

She pulled her head back, the light from the moon making him look like he was glowing. 

“Deal.”

~~~~~

He was reading underneath an umbrella on the beach when she tapped his arm. He was wearing a t-shirt despite the heat to protect his scarred skin from the sun.

“Hey, it’s time to reapply sunscreen.”

Ben set his book down and smirked. “You just want to see me without my shirt.”

“Guilty as charged. Now strip, you sexy beast.”

He pulled the shirt over his head, lying down on his stomach so she could start with his back. She was massaging the lotion into his skin when he peered over his shoulder to look at her, his eyes curious before he shook his head and turned away.

She stopped. “What?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Noooo, it’s definitely something. What is it?”

“It’s just me being silly.”

“I don’t care,” she smiled. “I wanna know. We’re married now, so you have to tell me everything, no matter how silly. It’s the law.”

He laughed, reaching out to take her hand and kissing her knuckles. 

“I was just thinking about how much I love you and how much you love me. You looking out for me and putting sunscreen on my back so my scars don’t burn. There was a time in my life when I never thought I’d find someone who could love me like you do, someone who I would feel 100% comfortable around. Someone that didn’t love me  _ despite _ my scars, but someone who loves them as a part of me. I told you, it’s silly.”

Leslie blinked back tears, moving to lay down next to him on the blanket. “That’s not silly. I think that’s perfectly understandable for someone that’s gone through as much as you. I just want you to know that you deserve every ounce of love that I have for you because you’re the greatest, most wonderful man in the entire universe. And I love  _ all _ of you.”

He smiled, leaning over to brushing her nose with his lips, and for what felt like the thousandth time today, she fell in love with him all over again.

“I love you, too.”

She sat back up on her knees and squeezed more sunblock into her hands. “As much as I want to cuddle with you on the beach, I also want to make sure that this hot bod doesn’t get burned to a crisp.”

“Then I get to return the favor?”

“You’ve got wandering hands.”

“It’s the only way to ensure complete coverage. We wouldn’t want some of your finest assets to get sunburned, now would we?”

Her hands slipped below the waist of his trunks and rubbed his butt. “Nope. I feel exactly the same way.”

~~~~~

The sand was soft and damp beneath her feet, Ben's hand warm as he threaded their fingers together and swung their arms.

“I can’t believe it’s our last night here. I almost don’t want to go back.”

Ben gave her a look. “Really?”

“I said  _ almost _ . I definitely miss Pawnee, and I wasn’t able to bring nearly as much work as I wanted to thanks to you, so I have a lot to do when I get back, but still. It’s so nice and peaceful here. I just feel like a different person sometimes. I don’t even remember having any nightmares. This might be the longest I’ve gone without them.”

Ben squeezed her hand. “I know what you mean, but seeing as how this island is now technically ours, I might force you to take a few extra vacation days off a year so we can come back.”

“Well, I hope future me decides to listen to you.” Leslie stopped walking and dropped the blanket onto the sand. “I think this is a good spot.”

“Yup, looks perfect to me. One last sunset.”

He sat down, pulled her into his lap and nuzzled her cheek.

She sighed, breathing in the scent of the ocean air and just a hint of Ben’s sunscreen.

“Have I told you today that I’m so happy I married you?”

“Yes, but it’s been a few hours. And I’m very happy that I married you.”

“We’re so adorable.”

“ _ You’re _ adorable.”

Leslie cackled and leaned back to rest her head on Ben’s chest. 

They didn’t say anything else--they didn’t have to. They just watched the sunset.  

**Author's Note:**

> Stay tuned for the honeymoon in the next chapter.


End file.
